Van Cleef & Arpels is a brand known for its incredible craftsmanship and for a vast collection of pieces that combine colour with nature-inspired motifs, precious gemstones, and ornate designs. Whether it’s the world-famous Alhambra collection or the detailed and delicate floral pieces from the Fleurette collection, Van Cleef & Arpels is a brand that has never shied away from innovative and creative concepts.
And what better way to acknowledge this creative spark than by sharing some of the most iconic items ever produced by the brand?
The Legend That Is Van Cleef & Arpels
The founding story of Van Cleef & Arpels is centred around love, with the marriage of the son of a diamond cutter and the daughter of a precious gemstone trader. Combining their families’ two passions and professions, Van Cleef & Arpels quickly became a brand renowned for its use of colourful gemstones, breathing life into unique and individual items – with a touch of whimsy behind each creation.
Soon, the brand became recognised on the world stage with some of the highest profile commissions, including a crown for Queen Nazli of Egypt in the 1930s and the coronation crown for the Empress of Iran in the 1960s. The latter took around 11 months to make and used 36 emeralds, 36 rubies, 105 pearls, and over 1,400 diamonds.
But it’s not just standout items that have given the brand its prestige and status in the world of luxury jewellery. One of the most notable things about Van Cleef & Arpels is the way that each piece and each collection combines exquisite attention to detail with the finest materials, the most iconic colours and gemstones, and the most memorable designs.
The ‘mystery setting’, which was patented by Van Cleef & Arpels in 1933, is an excellent example of how the brand has secured its place in the market – relating to a technique that allows gemstones to be set into the piece of jewellery with no obvious clasp or set of prongs. This technique is used sparingly by other brands, but is most notably connected to Van Cleef & Arpels, who use it to produce a limited collection of pieces every year (each piece taking up to or around 300 hours to create).
With that said, which specific pieces are the most notable and the most famous to have come from the Van Cleef & Arpels collection? Here is our rundown of both the one-off signature pieces and the collections that all buyers should take note of.
The Alhambra Collection
Loved by celebrities and buyers alike, the Alhambra collection is undoubtedly the most famous and the most recognisable from across the Van Cleef & Arpels range – characterised by the four leaf clover-style design that comes in all colours, shapes, and sizes.
Created as a form of good luck talisman, the Alhambra collection was inspired by the four leaf clovers collected by the nephew of the brand’s founding members and handed out to employees for good luck – eventually turning this concept into a full-blown collection that launched in 1968. The collection today uses a multitude of different gemstones as the base colour palette for each clover, from the purest of white pearls to vivid greens, blues, and diamond-encrusted details.
Since its launch, the Alhambra collection has gone from strength to strength in terms of the diversity and versatility of the range, as well as its popularity among buyers. Princess Grace of Monaco, also known as actress Grace Kelly, was known to be a fan of the collection – with modern celebrities mixing with royalty as they share a love for the simple but elegant and effortlessly timeless design. Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, is one example of a modern-day style icon who has been seen wearing the Alhambra collection on the red carpet.
The Zip Necklace
This iconic jewellery piece is from a much more exclusive collection than the aforementioned Alhambra collection, and was made famous on the red carpet when it was worn by Margot Robbie. The zip necklace is a working zip, which is considered by the brand to be the epitome and height of ingenuity – insofar as it takes the very ordinary and everyday concept of a working zip and integrates it into the setting of a high-end, highly valuable necklace.
The necklace has been made in a number of materials and iterations, though people tend to be most familiar with the white-gold and sapphire-blue necklace worn by Margot Robbie.
The ‘A Cheval’ Bracelet
We had to include this bracelet on the list, as it is the most expensive piece produced by the brand – with a price tag of around $1,100,000.
Using the purest of diamonds, as opposed to the brand’s usual inclination towards colour and a range of different gemstones, this bracelet is centred on the simplicity of the highest quality diamonds – and does so by layering a total of 440 diamonds together around the bangle.
The Passe-Partout Necklace
Flexibility is the order of the day with this piece of jewellery, which makes it onto this list for its incredible, versatile design that allows it to be worn as the owner sees fit. One recurring theme across the entire Van Cleef & Arpels collection is the bridge between everyday style and the most outrageous and compelling designs – with the idea of this necklace being that individuals can wear it as a necklace, layered twice as a choker, or wrapped multiple times to create a bracelet.
Similarly, the brooch itself can be detached from the flexible chain and worn on its own.
Looking for Your Own Piece of Van Cleef & Arpels History?
All of these individual items and collections form part of the Van Cleef & Arpels brand history, with buyers around the world seeking their own authentic piece to join the brand’s colourful and expressive story.
Finding a reputable reseller is the best way to protect your investment and ensure that the piece you buy is secure in value – with our boutique in London being one of the leading local buyers and sellers of top luxury brands.
